Residents mourn Chris Simon in his hometown of Wawa
The Town of Wawa is grieving the death of hometown NHLer Chris Simon, who died by suicide at age 52 this week.
Mayor Melanie Pilon said Michipicoten First Nation is burning a sacred fire for the Ojibwa man and inviting family, friends, fans and community members to pay their respects.
Pilon said Simon lived in Wawa until his death and had a large extended family in northern Ontario.
She called the Stanley Cup winner and feared former enforcer an inspiration for the community and Indigenous people.
"A person of pride, he was Wawa's hero," Pilon said.
"He really lived out his passion and made his dreams come true. And so many people in Wawa and northern Ontario -- and especially those in the Indigenous community -- really somewhat lived vicariously through him. Chris showed us all that if he could achieve his dreams, we could, too."
Pilon also shared a statement from Simon's family, thanking everyone who reached out and highlighting that Simon suffered from what they believe was a degenerative brain disorder brought on by his battles on the ice.
They urge anyone with thoughts of suicide to seek out help.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Parents of infant who died in wrong-way crash on Ontario's Hwy. 401 were in same vehicle
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit has released new details about a wrong-way collision in Whitby on Monday night that claimed the lives of four people.
Galen Weston pushes back on 'misguided criticism' of Loblaw as boycott begins
Loblaw chairman Galen Weston, as well as the company's new chief executive, pushed back on what they called 'misguided criticism' of the grocer as a boycott against the company gains steam online.
Three Quebec men from same family father hundreds of children
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
B.C. mayor stripped of budget, barred from committees over Indigenous residential schools book
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Quebec premier asks police to dismantle camp at McGill University
Quebec Premier Francois Legault has called on the police to dismantle the pro-Palestinian protest encampment on the lower field of McGill University's downtown campus in Montreal.
Orangutan observed treating wound using medicinal plant in world first
Scientists working in Indonesia have observed an orangutan intentionally treating a wound on their face with a medicinal plant, the first time this behavior has been documented.
TD Bank hit with $9.2M penalty after failing to report suspicious transactions
Canada's financial intelligence agency says it has levied a $9.2-million penalty against The Toronto-Dominion Bank for non-compliance with money laundering and terrorist financing measures as the bank also faces compliance investigations in the U.S.
Doctors concerned about potential spread of bird flu in Canada
H5N1 or avian flu has been detected at dozens of U.S. dairy farms and Canadian experts are urging surveillance on our side of the border too.
This Canadian restaurant just lowered its prices. Here's how it did it
A Canadian restaurant lowered its prices this week, and though news of price tags dropping rather than climbing sounds unusual, the business strategy in this case is not, according to experts in the field.